Light in the Darkest Hours
by Fae 206
Summary: Four years ago there was news that Hikari Hanazono had been murdered, news that tore apart Kei Takishima's world. During a business meeting, Kei discovers not only that his precious Hikari is alive but that she's been forced into imprisonment as another man's sexual playtoy. How will he protect the one he loves with so much darkness around them? - rewrite of the light of my life -
1. Chapter 1 - A Dimmed Candlelight

**AN:** I know that I currently have a fanfic of this story out there but I wanted to refine it a little more. I know that Special A doesn't get a lot of fics so you might be asking why I'm writing but I love it and I feel that I will always love it 😊 plus I don't think this story would work very well for Chi's Sweet Home and I've got more than a dozen active Skip Beat fics 😉

Well, I hope you enjoy.

 **Chapter One: A Dimmed Candlelight**

White linens covered the tables inside of the large tent. There were multiple desserts under crystal domes which made them appear even more appetizing. The musicians, including Jun, were playing so skillfully together. Time just seemed to slow down and settle on the great beauty of this event.

It was the wedding of two of Kei Takishima's closest friends. It was a wonderful night which celebrated the love of Akira Todou and Tadashi Karino as they embarked on their journey together. After all of these years, the two of them had finally wed and then they were moving to Paris.

Everyone looked so gorgeous and glamorous in their formal dress and as another song played more couples went onto the dance floor. Kei had decided to pick up his fork from the dessert and see how it looked in the different lights. Light. That word always made him think.

There were some lights that weren't even able to be studied. There were stars which burned brightly and then died out leaving a black hole. There were some lights that should never be messed with.

"Excuse me, Takishima-san," a young woman in a blue dress, that looked similar to a Disney princess's , said as her cheeks turned a deep red, "Would you like to dance?" she asked and the twenty-two year old looked at her with a slightly exhausted expression.

"I think you'd have more fun dancing with somebody else," he said as he held the fork up to the light of the candle. To an ordinary person this wouldn't be seen as doing anything strange or out of the ordinary but to Kei, it kept him focused on that word and the girl who had passed away and taken his heart with her.

Hikari Hanazono had been abducted, raped, and murdered when she was an eighteen-year-old high school student. Her body was never found but there were two bodies found of other victims in a condition like hers. Kei had searched for her but even he couldn't trace it. What he did know is that someone was asking young Japanese women for help only to end their lives.

There was no DNA proof other than blood found on her school uniform that matched the blood in an abandoned greenhouse. Kei had always needed more to make him truly believe but over four years his thoughts had shifted ever so gradually into accepting her death.

"Well, I thought that you'd have fun dancing too," the girl smiled and Kei looked at her and sighed.

"There are a lot of people here. I'm sorry, I'm not really one for dancing but I'm sure that if you go to that table," Kei gestured to a table with some of Tadashi's friends from the college that he had been  
'forced to attend' "That they would be happy to dance with you."

The girl froze and looked down before giving up and walked over to where the men were. Kei watched her go before Akira came up to him and sat down beside him.

"Did you make her cry?" Akira smiled to her old friend. "You know, I really wish that she could have been here. I had all these plans that I never told anyone about before Tadashi proposed about how she would be my maid of honor and how I would throw my arms around her at the end of the night and tell her that she was my sister."

Kei froze before looking at the table linens, "You really picked a great venue and you look very beautiful," he said with a smile as he attempted not to make eye contact. "Congratulations," he smiled as Akira placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Have you ever considered dating again? I know some really -" Akira tried but Kei looked at her with an exhausted sigh. He ran a hand through his blond hair and closed his eyes. It did nothing to relieve him of the years of stress and exhaustion without her.

"You've already confiscated my phone and the spreadsheets that I attempted to sneak in here and I did as you asked because you're my friend and it's your wedding and you've really been there for me since we were kids and especially these past four years, but I still reserve the right to -" Kei tried to reply but Akira cut him off again.

"She's not going to come back," she told the blond.

"I know….I know that, but I'm content on not having people around me. When I concentrate on business then I can find myself passing through the hours as if they're not even there," Kei told her before seeing Tadashi walk over.

"You rejected another woman's invite?" Tadashi chuckled as he approached the blond, "People are going to talk and it may come out that you're gay."

"You have a problem with that because I don't," Kei said as he pulled out his glasses and put them on. "However, I do wish the two of you a long and happy marriage and congratulations. I hope that this will help you with your move to France," he said before pulling out an envelope. "Do I have permission to wish you well and head back home?"

Akira held onto the envelope as she kept it away from her husband who was eager to open it, "If you're sure that you are okay. Please don't drink tonight, okay and maybe not pass by the Hanazono's old house."

"I won't do either of those things," Kei told them. "I just have to check out a new office in America for one of the companies that we bought last year. They told me to look around in New York to see if we can expand our American influence."

"Just," Akira said nervously, "Be safe."

"I will," Kei nodded before he stood up and bowed to the two of them. "Congratulations again and I know that we'll keep in contact. Thank you for everything and I hope to be invited to future events."

"Of course," Akira grinned as she wrapped her arms around her friend and as she let go, Takashi embraced him as well. Kei smiled again before leaving.

As he left, Tadashi looked at the envelope. "Can we open it?" he asked and Akira nodded as well. As they looked inside there were gift cards to major shops in Paris with a total of just over one million yen in value.

"Do we need to get him a thank you gift with this?" Tadashi asked with a grin and Akira looked in the direction where he had just left. One of the last things that he had done before Hikari's death was asking her if she would marry him for the third time. He had told her that he wanted to drive her home or at least walk with her but a meeting had come up.

Watching someone else experience a life that you wanted but could never have would have no other option than to feel painfully frightening.

…

…

"I'm not sure that I like this place either," Kei said as he stood outside of an office building in Manhattan. There were questions about how big the new company office should be with some of the members of the board thinking that a new building should just be constructed. Kei was just there to oversee the beginning of everything before returning to his own job in Japan.

With no fear of him wasting his life away, he was able to pick wherever he wanted to work and Tokyo just felt familiar to him. He turned to the assistant that he was working with, "Ian, this place isn't going to work for us. I know they say that they have a basement area that is only accessible to a staircase located on this floor but the chairman should know that the coding isn't up to date and that the file we were presented with was missing quite a few pages."

"Isn't it even worth considering?" Ian asked as Kei looked at him before looking at the office building again.

"I suppose that the last company to use it did get good ratings, it was a remote security company though. Maybe they have good internet service," Kei sighed as he adjusted his glasses and looked at his paperwork.

"We also scheduled a meeting with the office manager," Ian reminded him and Kei sighed.

"Keeping up appearances is also a good thing," he noted before trying not to show how tired he was. He didn't want to think about his emotions because they were often full of negative feelings. Even if he felt good then he was feeling good without her.

Ian nodded and the two entered the lobby only to be greeted by the office manager and a very prominent woman in the New York real estate game. Kei walked out to the two of them with a very relaxed and charming smile on his face.

Diana, the real estate tycoon, smiled as she shook hands with Kei. "I heard you were handsome," she told him, "and also very young. Well, I want to welcome you gentlemen to America and shall I show you the office building."

"I'm more interested in seeing the basement that was advertised on your early paperwork. I'm talking about the paperwork before the 2010s that has been mysteriously left out of -" Kei said but Diana interrupted him.

"I'm sorry, are you talking about the warehouse because ours is actually located in a different area," she said before Kei took out the paperwork and Diana stared at him in amazement. "I was never told that this was here."

"All the more reason to check it out first. We would love to consider this location for our company and you know that we have the wealth and prestige to back up our bid on the place if we want it. What we cannot handle is a stain on the Takishima name's legacy. I request that we go here first."

Diana nodded as she looked Kei over. This man might look like someone of a younger demographic but all the reports were true when they said that he was not one to be messed with. He had the maturity and leadership qualities of someone twice or three times his age.

As the group followed the early map of the location, they came upon a locked door and Kei looked to Diana for the key. The office manager was still completely bewildered by all of this. As Diana unlocked the door, Kei's eyes widened as he saw there to be what looked like a hallway of an office building but everything was not of good condition and there was an off-putting smell lingering in the air.

As he walked to one of the doors, he saw a young man of his own age but much skinnier pacing. Kei noticed that there were dark bruises over his body and it looked like his bones were about to tear through his skin. "We need a medic," he said. "Somebody get this guy out of here. Ian," he turned to his assistant, "Contact the police immediately as well as get some medical care for this man. Are there other people in here too?" he asked as he saw that this was all brand new to the two other members of their party.

Kei looked in the rooms to see that there was one other man and three women who were around his age and in bad shape. The men looked as if they could be models but they were dressed in clothing that was too tight with one of them wearing what appeared to be a police uniform.

As he went to the last door, Kei froze as time seemed to stand still. He walked over to Diana and grabbed the key to put it into the lock immediately. It didn't work. He had to just break this down because on the other side of that wall was a young woman who looked like an older version of Hikari. She was wearing a gothic Lolita dress and accessories with a needle in her arm.

As he broke through the door, the woman looked at him stunned before pushing her back against the wall.

"No, no, no," she whispered as tears came to her eyes and Kei stopped himself as he realized that she was scared and she had every right to be. He had just knocked down her door.

"Please don't be afraid. We're going to get you help. You look – wow, you look so similar to her," he said before putting a hand over his mouth as he noticed all the scars but also the way she looked so much like a thinner and older version of his girlfriend. "Miss. Number Two?" he whispered and she looked at him as tears filled her eyes.

"Takishima?" she asked as she saw Kei approach her, his face a mess of emotions, "K-K-Kei?" she asked and Kei came closer before putting a hand on top of her head.

"Hi there, Hikari," he said as tears filled both of their eyes and Kei bent in half as sobs seemed to be torn from his chest.

He had found her again but was he too late?

 **End of Chapter One**

 **Thank you for reading. Reviews are much appreciated and will lead to quicker updates.**


	2. Chapter 2 - Dim Rooms

**AN:** For those who are asking, this is a remake. I've read more/most of SA again so I feel that I can do more justice for the characters than before. I also want to add that I will be working on this and my Skip Beat fics and maybe fics for a few other series as well. I hope you enjoy. Getting reviews definitely led to a quicker update, plus this was fun to write.

 **Chapter Two – Dim Rooms**

Jiro Hanazono stared out at the world around him as he stood in the new family home. They had lived here for five years and, despite the fact that he had always planned to move back, after Hikari's death he couldn't take the pain that came from being reminded of her absence. He adored his daughter and had always wanted the best for her. He had been impressed by her agility, her knowledge, and her passion and work ethic.

Jiro Hanazono had never foreseen that his daughter would be involved in a situation like that.

Seeing the bloody uniform and hearing the police say that the blood on the clothes matched with the blood at the greenhouse had cause such heartbreak that he had wanted to stop working. He had _wanted_ to stop but he knew that he had to keep going for Masako and Atsushi.

When he had gone back for the memorial service, he had felt completely empty and completely useless. It was then that he had seen the tree that held the punching bag where she would work out. He had taken the sack down and cut the outside of it open, that material now sat in a wooden box that he had created from the tree. On the outside of the box were wooden kanji of her name.

This was the box where he kept photos of her, gifts that she had given him, things that he had found in her bedroom. This was his box filled with the memories of his daughter who would never grow up and have a family. His daughter would never attend college or be able to talk about her profession. His little girl was stuck at the age of eighteen forever.

Even if he one day had grandchildren, they would grow up to be older than their deceased aunt.

That man had stolen so much from him and Jiro knew that he could never get it back. He would never be able to reclaim it. That was the worst feeling. As he gazed upon the picture of Hikari and saw the setting sun, he heard the phone ring. He hummed before going to pick it up.

"Hello, you've reached the Hanazono residence. This is Jiro, how can I -"

"Sir," he heard the very familiar voice of the boy that he had come to see as a second son because of how much he had helped the family after Hikari's death. "This is Kei. I have something to discuss with you."

"Go ahead, Kei," Jiro said as he tried to smile through his own pain.

"This is shocking news but I needed to tell you it immediately and I needed to tell it to you myself. I've found Hikari," he said. Jiro tensed as he hoped that the poor kid hadn't completely lost his mind this time. "It's hard to believe I know, I respect your disbelief, but I found her. She's been in a very traumatic situation but she's here, may I put her on the phone with you?"

"Kei, what are you talking about?" Jiro asked, he didn't want to believe in the chance that his precious daughter was alive, that was too much to ask for. "Yes," he finally sighed though he thought that he would regret this. "Yes, put her on the phone."

There was a pause in the conversation and Jiro managed to find a chair to sit down on. He waited before hearing a voice on the other end of the line that he instantly recognized. His eyes widened and his stomach squeezed.

"D-Ddd-Dad-dd?" Hikari asked as she struggled to get through her words, "Aa-r-re you th-there?"

Jiro felt the tears in his eyes and the put a hand to his forehead as he tried to steady himself. This wasn't the type of thing you would expect. This was the type of story in a book or a movie, a scripted event. "Yes, I'm here."

…..

…..

 _Hi, Hikari?_

Those were his first words to her. He hadn't seen her for four years and that was the first thing that he had said to her. He had imagined this situation over and over again and that was all he had to say. He lifted his head and pinched himself so that he could keep a calm head. He looked her over and his eyes caught onto the needle that had been forced into her arm.

His hands shook as he tried to reason whether to take it out or not. He then concentrated on the fear in her eyes. How long had she been here?

"K-Kkei?" she asked and Kei looked at her in surprise. She didn't usually call him by his name. It was usually Takishima. He froze before nodding sadly. It had been years, maybe something had caused her to want to use his first name.

"Hikari," he said as he froze and got down to her level, he placed a hand on her forehead. She was burning up and she looked ill, her body was much thinner than before. He looked at her again before his hand shook as he held it up to her. "Will it hurt you if -"

Hikari threw her arms around him and sobbed into his chest. He pulled her close and was surprised at how her hair was longer and was washed but he could smell something in it, some strange product. "I'm sorry," she whispered as Kei looked at her arm again. He didn't know if taking that out would cause more problems, he couldn't tell what was in it.

"You don't have to be sorry. You never have to be sorry. I'm the one who should be apologizing, I let them convince me that you were gone," he said as he kissed her multiple times. He held her protectively. "I love you so much. Whoever did this to you will pay, I swear to that."

"I'm sorry," she apologized again, "When your wife finds out about this," she said before looking at him. He was so much older than the last time that she had seen him. He looked mature and just as the president of a company looked. He had probably lived a good life without her. He had most likely come under his grandfather's wing and was running one of the Takishima companies. He most likely had a wife who might even have a child and right now she was just crying into his chest.

"My wife?" Kei asked before looking at her, "No, I don't -"

"Then your girlfriend, your fiancée," she said as Kei felt stunned. Is that what she thought of him? No, he shouldn't let that get in the way. He had to be careful of her and mindful of her condition and situation. "No, I…I have never had another girlfriend, there is no girl that can affect me in the way that you can. I love you. I'm here for you now. I just wish I had been here -"

"Kei," Ian said as he stepped into the room and Kei shot him a slightly frustrated look. "I think that the police need to talk to you. I suggest that you head upstairs and -"

"You're perfectly capable of doing it," Kei said as he tried to reign in his anger before he threw it at the wrong person. "I will be up there in a moment but I am not going without Hikari."

"Hikari Hanazono, your dead lo—" Ian took a step back as he saw Kei's look darken and he nodded, "Wow, yes, I'll be up there and will do my best to cover it until you are there." Ian turned and left at that. He and Diana had managed to evacuate the other prisoners.

"I'm sorry, I'm making things worse," Hikari whispered as she tried to wipe away her tears.

"You have nothing to apologize for," Kei said before looking at the needle. "What Is it that's in your arm?" he asked as his fingers drew towards it. He carefully undid the tape keeping it in and slid it out. His breaths were measured as he removed it and saw it drip onto the floor.

"It…It makes me submissive," she whispered before closing her eyes and grabbed onto his shirt, sobbing painfully into his chest. Kei wrapped her up close and let his fingers roam through her hair. He would never forgive himself for just letting her be abused like this and he would never let go of this urge to kill anyone who was involved with this.

…..

…..

Hikari had her arms wrapped around Kei's neck and her face pressed into his chest as he carried her princess style to the entrance. As they got into the light, Hikari flinched painfully and pressed her face closer into his chest. Kei stopped and looked upon her with a lot of concern in his eyes. "Hikari?" he asked, "What is it? What's wrong?"

"It hu-hurrr-ts" she said and Kei looked her over before realizing that she was kept in the dark for such a long time that seeing the sun would hurt her eyes.

Kei held her closer and shifted her so that she could put her entire face on his shoulder. "I'll protect you," he told her as he tried to soothe her, "Just close your eyes and try to relax. We'll get out of the light in a moment," he looked to Ian before gesturing for him to come over with his head. Ian obediently approached him.

"I need to get her to the hospital," he told him, "but we need to go in the car with the blinds on. She needs to be in a darkened area," he tried to explain before looking over at the police officers. "Please assure them that once she's in safety, I will tell them whatever they need but she is my top priority."

Hikari looked at him quickly and saw the love that still burned for her but also the high level of concern. She saw him struggling with his emotions despite the fact, probably because he _was_ Takishima, it wasn't something that most people would notice. She heard Ian leave and felt a few more kisses pressed to her head.

"I'm going to take you to the car and my driver will take us to the hospital," he tried to inform her as he tried not to cry. She didn't need him to cry right now. She needed his strength and he needed her to feel safe.

"I'm scared," Hikari finally said with tears in her own eyes and Kei had to imagine how much she had changed, how much they had forced her to change from the person that she had been. She wouldn't usually admit to this, she wouldn't usually be so submissive even if he did try to carry her like a princess. She would usually fight against things and smile. They had stolen that from her and she might never regain her confidence and her smile. He still loved her though. He would always love her.

"It's okay, I'll be with you," he tried to assure her, "I promise that I won't leave you. We'll be okay." Kei managed to get to the car and make sure that there was only dimmed light before he did her seatbelt for her and let go of her. He sat next to her with his face showing years of pain and his eyes on the space in front of him in this business car. He had also put up the screen separating them from the front.

Hikari looked over at him, "I llo-vve you," she whispered as more tears came in her eyes and Kei looked at her with a shaky nod.

"I love you too," he told her as he felt his heart warm being able to say those words to her again, "Always."

 **End of Chapter Two**

 **Thank you so much for reading**

 **Thank you, reviewers of Chapter One**

Kittycat, misshollyjolly65


	3. Chapter 3 - Hospital Equipment in Shadow

**AN:** I think I'll be updating this weekly or biweekly as I take some time to work on my Skip Beat fics as well. I needed a short break from those fics but feel that I want to work on both. I really hope you like this chapter. I tried to balance the happiness and pain so I hope you feel it worked out.

 **Chapter Three – Hospital Equipment in Shadows**

The lights had been dimmed inside the hospital room and the beeping of the machines was at a minimum. Already there had been three doctors come by to check on various things and Kei was worried in what that meant. If this was anyone else, he would go over and use all that he had learned from medical textbooks to test out what was wrong with them. _She_ was far too important for him to do that to.

Hikari Hanazono's life was, and always would be, sacred in the eyes of Kei Takishima.

He heard her stir a little before seeing her crying. He would kill whoever was responsible for this. Even if all they did was straighten bedsheets, to see her in pain and unable to do anything about it or rather be unwilling to do anything about it. Well, they would suffer from the pain she had endured. He took a step forward.

"Hikari?" he asked in a chilled breath, "What is it? Does something hurt? Please tell me, you know that I get more worried about you than anyone," Kei said cautiously as he pulled out a chair. He looked upon her sleeping face and wished that there was a way he could take away the pain that came to her even in sleep.

"K-Kk-ei?" Hikari asked as Kei nodded again. She hadn't used to be this way. Yes, she had always had trouble saying his name but she had always called him by his last name. This made him see the situation with even more intensity. "Wwho kn—mmy ffa-atther…"

"I haven't called anyone but I can certainly call your father for you," Kei told her, "I'd like to tell your dad. Would you like to talk to him?" he asked. Kei wasn't sure how scarring it was for Hikari to talk to people who had believed that she had died. It would be hard approaching that situation no matter what the circumstances but after being tied up and used as someone's pleasure slave, that pain wasn't fathomable.

"Yes," Hikari nodded. "He's my dad, he loves me…"

Kei opened his mouth but felt Hikari grab onto his wrist.

"Just as yyouu llove me."

…..

…..

 _Jiro Hanazono had come up as soon as he had been notified by the school about Hikari's disappearance. It was at that point that he received a message from Satoru telling him how Kei was doing his best to look for the girl. Jiro had gone back to the old house and, although he had originally planned to come alone, Masako and Atsushi had followed him._

 _He got back to the old house and turned the key in the lock. He froze as he saw someone pacing around in the dark and muttering but he couldn't detect the voice. "Stay close," he told his wife and son before turning on the light and saw a very disheveled teenager looking at him._

 _The school uniform was dirty and this boy who had been known for being extremely glamorous looked like a mess. "Kei?" Jiro asked as he looked at the washed-up coffee cups and walked over to him. "Kei, we've heard the -"_

" _Hey," Atsushi said as he looked at the distraught blond. "Have you looked everywhere? Maybe if there's somewher-"_

 _Kei shot him a frustrated look as if asking 'are you kidding me?' but then looked down and tried to soften his facial expression. "I've checked everywhere that I can think of. I've had people checking. I've managed to get feeds of several security systems around the city and they are doing facial recognition and will alert me if they see her. I can't think of anything else," he said as he ran his fingers through his hair._

 _All of a sudden there was a buzz on the TV and Kei looked over to where he could see a news report about a fire in the northern parts of Japan before it showed next that they had discovered a Hakusenkan Special A uniform covered in blood. Kei looked at the TV. Wasn't that something that you were supposed to get the family's approval on whether to release it as information or not._

" _Oh my go-" Masako said as tears filled her eyes. She buried her head into her husband's arm._

" _Is this real? That has to be fake -" Atsushi said, begging for this to be an elaborate ruse._

" _It's not hers," Kei said before he looked down, "If it's hers then she's changed her clothes. She would have tried to find something that would be easy to fight in. Sometimes school uniforms can be a bit too restricting, right, that's right isn't it?"_

" _Sure," Jiro nodded as Masako stared at him confused. "Kei, when was the last time that you slept?"_

" _Sleep isn't important," Kei argued, "I'll sleep once I've found her. Once she's home safe and sound I'll sleep for as long as you want but not until we have her with us again."_

" _Okay, okay," Jiro said, "We'll all look. Atsushi are you able to -"_

" _Yes," the younger Hanazono said as he looked at Kei, "Why don't we go and look together?"_

…..

…..

Hikari nervously held onto Kei's phone as she listened to her father's voice. She didn't know what to say to him. "Daddy," she said as she felt the tears in her eyes, "I'm sorry."

"Please don't apologize," Jiro said as he clutched the phone as tight as his daughter was. "Where are you? I want to come see you, is that okay?"

"Of ccour-se" Hikari whispered as she felt more tears in her eyes. "I llov-ve you, Dda-d" she said as Jiro felt his heart both get put together and ache painfully at the same time.

"I love you too," Jiro replied, "Your mother and I will be on the next flight."

"Cca-nn I as-kk you a qq-ues-tion?" Hikari shivered as she took a look towards the door. "Dd-add, ddoes Tak—Kei hhave an impor-tant person to him?"

"You." Jiro said with a sigh, "That boy has been incredibly loyal to you. In fact, he's sworn off love because of his devotion to you. I'm sure that he's ecstatic that you're back. That man loves you so much. He's really been helping the family and doing everything that he can. He's always fought for the belief that you were out there," Jiro said honestly.

Hikari nodded as she tried to brush away the tears from her own eyes. As she and her father wrapped up the conversation, Hikari just stared at the phone. She nervously pressed on the photo button and saw a lot of photos where Kei either looked very professional or wasn't in. She felt herself shiver as she saw pictures of the wedding, of Jun and Megumi performing in front of large audiences, Ryuu and Finn standing with Kei. Her friends had moved on and she was happy for them but it seemed that Kei hadn't.

She got to a picture of London where Kei had the slightest smile on his face and Atsushi was standing next to him whilst taking the selfie. She had missed her family so much and it looked like they were watching out for him and he was watching out for them. As she heard a knock on the door, she quickly exited the photo app.

"Did the talk with your dad go well?" Kei asked as he stood at the end of the bed. He tried to smile through his tears as he gazed upon her. "I'm so thankful that you're here," he told her as he struggled to maintain composure.

"Can I call you Kei?" Hikari asked and Kei nodded as he came to sit next to her.

"Of course, it's okay if you call me that," he looked at her before staring down. "What you asked me about my love life, I hate to admit that I haven't been very strong in it. I know that you always want me to smile and be happy. I know that you realize how much I hate to be alone but -" Kei opened the workbag that he had with him and took out a small golden bag. He unzipped it before showing Hikari that he still carried around the little doll of her. "I always carry this. If I couldn't have the real you then I thought that this would be enough," he also slipped out a picture of the two of them and showed her. "I also take this."

"Thank you for not giving up on me," Hikari said as she looked down. "You must see me as ugly after all the things that I've -" she paused as Kei looked at her in deep shock.

"No, not at all," he said quickly before looking down again. "You're not at fault."

"Ever since we were kids and you were worried about my safety or the teacher was worried, you've always done your best to protect me and make me happy. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have survived. Every night I just had to close my eyes and picture you and then I knew that it was going to be alright," she said as she shivered and Kei looked at her, the heartbreak showing in his face at how she had gone four years through pain because he hadn't looked carefully enough.

"That shouldn't -" he tried to argue but Hikari cut him off.

"I love you," she whispered as more tears fell down her cheeks. "My memories of you," she put a hand to her heart. "Every time I was scared or lonely or depressed, I just remembered all the love you had put in my heart. Even when I made mistakes, you loved me. Even when I had a fake wedding or modeled behind your back, you always loved me and you put my happiness above everything else. If it wasn't for the fact that I had felt something that made me feel so brave and so strong, I wouldn't have -"

Before she realized it, Kei had wrapped his arms around her and held her to his chest. He knew that she wanted to continue but he couldn't just sit there and listen to her anymore. He had to make sure that he still gave her those feelings. The things that she had been through were so traumatic and if he could be of any help then he wanted to be.

"Promise you'll stay?" Hikari asked as she grabbed a fistful of his shirt's material.

"Always, I won't let go of you again," he promised as he pressed more kisses to her head. "We'll go at your pace, we can go anywhere that you want, we can do anything that you want. Forget about the world and forget about the people inhabiting it. I'll be here for you. Losing you was the most painful experience in my life, I refuse to go through that again."

Hikari smiled at him before looking at his hands. She froze as she saw that he still had a rubber band around his finger. It had been years since she had rashly proposed to him and he still kept that promise that they would be together.

"Can we…Kei, are you - I know I wanted to beat you in something but I – I – want to be your wife. Is that possible?" she asked as she tried to hide her face from him. She didn't want to be rejected. She didn't want to lose one of her most important people and, outside of family, her most important person by far.

"I want nothing more than for you to be my wife," he promised her. "I want to be with you for as long as you'll let me. I love you so much."

"Even though I've been…" Hikari whispered but she didn't want to talk about the abuse that she had been through. She didn't want him to see her weak or see her hurting.

"Nothing has changed," Kei said as he put a hand to her chin and brought her face up so that they could look into each other's eyes. "Nothing will ever change how much I love you. I want us to be married," he told her. "As long as that's okay with you."

Hikari nodded as she saw the passion in his eyes and wrapped her arms around him again whilst breaking down into his chest. It was the truth. If she hadn't have met him, hadn't spent years trying to win against him, hadn't relied on his love before then she wouldn't have made it through. As long as he was with her then maybe she had a chance of life going back to the time it was before. She knew she had changed and he had probably changed too but he would always make her feel strong and smart and capable.

More than anything though, he made her feel safe and loved.

That was all she could ask from him.

 **End of Chapter Three**

 **Thank you for reading, reviews are very appreciated.**

 **Thank you, reviewers of Chapter Two**

Bobdudly123, misshollyjolly65, 00nighthowler00


	4. Chapter 4 - Outlining Shadows

**AN:** I really hope you enjoy this. From rereading the last chapter I realized that I had actually deleted a couple of paragraphs from the memory. It was between Jiro asking Kei what he was doing in the house and Atsushi asking if he'd really searched everywhere. I'm hoping that it read fine without it 😊

Well, I really hope you enjoy this and is it just me or is Kei Takishima (and Hikari) one of the best characters ever written 😉 (right up there with Blaine Anderson and Kuon Hizuri imho 😉)

 **Chapter Four – Outlining Shadows**

Kei looked upon his girlfriend as she lay in the bed, tears in her eyes. He gently touched her cheek, barely putting any pressure at all there, "You should get some sleep. I'll keep a look out," he told her as he knew that she was scared. He would definitely be there for her. He knew that her family would be there in only a few hours but right now he was all that she had.

"You're here," Hikari whispered as she looked at him, "I don't want you to fade away again. I don't want this to be a dream," she said before crying even more. Kei looked at her lovingly and let his hand go through her hair.

"Are you number two in sleeping as well?" he asked and Hikari seemed to draw in on herself. Kei frowned, those words had always brought strength and a desire to win against him. Now it felt that they were hurting her.

"We haven't competed for a long time," she whispered as tears ran down her cheeks. "Can you …" she began before feeling her words drift off. Kei looked at her with a very concerned expression on his face.

"What do you need? What can I get for you? Do you need me to get a doctor here?" he asked and Hikari grabbed his wrist as he stood. She didn't like seeing him so panicked but at least it was with her well-being in mind.

"Can you hold me?" she asked, almost begging him. She noticed the look of shock on Kei's face. She lifted the cover for him and he froze before slipping his shoes off and getting into the bed, making sure there was enough room between them. She had been hurt so much over these past four years and he didn't want to be a part of that.

"Is this ok—" he said hesitantly before feeling Hikari snuggle up close to him. Kei, mindful of the hospital machinery, wrapped her up in his arms. "I love you so much, my dear Hikari," he said as he kissed her forehead. He felt the way she clutched onto him as if he were a lifeboat saving her life. Finally he felt her getting to sleep and so just held her.

He had really missed having her in his arms.

…

…

It was only a couple of hours before Kei felt someone enter the room and his eyes snapped open. He had started to fall asleep with her. Maybe it was the happiness that came from finding out that she was alive, maybe it was from the way he could finally hold her in a way he had missed so much, or maybe it was the exhaustion of all of this. Still, he had told her he would protect her and he had fallen asleep.

Hopefully nothing bad would happen.

"I'm here do check her," a male nurse said with a very bad Japanese accent. Kei frowned.

"[Both of us can speak English very well, speaking in Japanese is unnecessary,]" he said as he looked at Hikari. She seemed to be sleeping more peacefully with him. "[Does it have to be now?]"

"[I'm surprised that you are in the bed with her.]" The nurse said and Kei looked at him as he attempted to study him. He then turned to Hikari who was waking up a little.

"Hi, did you manage to rest?" he asked Hikari with a kiss to her forehead, "The nurse just wanted to ru-" Kei blinked as Hikari came closer to him and seemed to try to hide in his chest. She was shaking as if she was going to have a panic attack. "What's wrong? The nurse is here if you want to -" he watched as she looked up at the nurse and her eyes widened in fear.

Kei froze before looking at the nurse himself whilst holding the woman he loved as close as possible. He studied him before realizing that the nurse recognized her. That would be impossible unless - Kei looked at his badge, committing it to memory, "[Is that your real name?]" he asked as the doctor nodded. Kei glared at him in an extremely cold manner. "[Get the hell out,]" he hissed as a dark aura loomed around him but kept a safe area for Hikari. "[You'll be arrested in a number of hours.]"

Out of fear, the nurse left and Kei tried to calm himself down before he scared the black haired angel in his arms. "Are you okay?" he asked and Hikari closed her eyes as the fear and pain could be sensed throughout her body.

"Hhhe ju-just pp-paid," Hikari whispered to him as Kei's eyes widened. He hadn't been expecting to hear that. So, this creep that had taken her had been charging men for sex and had been forcing her to prostitute herself? He would kill them. He would systematically kill each and every one of them.

"It'll be okay. I'm here now, we'll be okay," the blond attempted to remind her. He had to be strong for her but it was killing him inside how she had been kind enough to offer to help somebody and he had done all this because she was trying to help. He would never allow anyone to get to her like that again.

….

….

Kei couldn't help but allow the swarm of images to keep circling around and around in his mind. Thomas Glover. This was a man who had taken advantage of Hikari by making her pleasure him to avoid being tortured. The younger Hikari that he knew wasn't comfortable about sex and that was with him. She would try and help people but they must have used a lot of drugs on her to make her body do what they wanted. That was enough to summon the demons of hell to seek revenge on this individual.

As the door opened again, he wrapped his arms around Hikari and made sure that nobody could touch her. She grabbed to him, nervously looking over his shoulder. She found such a relief as she saw Atsushi standing there in a loose t-shirt and blue pants.

"Hikari?" he asked as his mouth dropped and his eyes widened. "Oh my god," Kei moved back to allow the siblings to hug one another. "Oh my god," Atsushi whispered, "It's so good to see you. I never thought I'd see you again, little sis," he said before looking back at the blond. "Thank -"

"You don't need to thank me," Kei said as he looked down, "I really haven't do-"

"You've done so much for this family," Jiro said as he placed a comforting hand on Kei's shoulder. "My daughter's back, that is something that we should all be thankful for," Jiro looked over at Hikari and then at Masako who was crying as she saw the now twenty-two-year-old moving around.

Kei looked at them before bowing his head quickly, "I did what I could but I really didn't do -" he looked at Hikari as he felt his stomach churn. "I have to go somewhere very quickly," he told her, "I promise that I will come back and your family is here. I'll be right back if that's okay."

"That's okay," Hikari nodded nervously before looking down, "Can I ask for something?" she asked and Kei looked over at her.

"Of course, anything," he said quickly.

Hikari closed her eyes before looking up at him nervously, "Please don't kill that man?" she asked and Kei stopped. He looked at her in shock. Was she serious right now? That man deserved the death penalty for abusing her. He couldn't fathom why she was so concerned about this man who had violated her. He didn't seem apologetic. "I don't want you to get into trouble. I want you with me. Please?" she begged him and Kei sighed before going over to her and nodded.

"Sure, I'll make sure not to kill him," he said before kissing her again and leaving the room. He knew that she was safe with her family. He had to take some more steps into giving her the security that she needed.

…..

…..

 _Hikari could only remember blurred images and flashes of the last few hours or was it last few days, she wasn't sure. What she was sure about was that if this was a competition then that was a very unfair way of them to cheat. Real contests shouldn't have drugs involved, that was meant as cheating and she would make sure they paid if the drug had any negative side effects to it._

 _As she opened her eyes, she saw herself in a room that had a table and chair, a bed, a box, and a little bell and this all was within the same amount of space as one might have in a cupboard under the stairs. She didn't understand why she was here._

 _She sighed before calling out, "Thanks for the competition but I'm going to go now. It was great playing with you guys, I guess," she said before trying to get her arm free. She yanked on it and then looked back to see that she was handcuffed to the wall. That certainly added a new level of difficulty to the game._

" _You guys are a lot of fun but this is enough for today!" she called out to the darkness before trying to yank her arm away again. It wasn't budging. She looked at her wrist and saw that there was a needle poking in there._

" _It's not very fair to challenge people and then drug them. That's a very dishonest way of chea-"_

" _Will you keep your mouth closed," a masked figure said as he approached her with carefully measured steps. He looked around and then sat opposite her. "We can either do this the nice way," he said as he caressed her cheek, "or we could do it the nasty way," he said as he took out a knife and Hikari paled as she saw it. It was an incredibly sharp knife._

" _We can do it the nice way," she said. "After all, when friends challenge one another it's good if they set rules and guidelines and you have to be nice and to try to understand the other person. That's what Takishima taught -"_

" _Will you shut up?" the man said before pulling out a collar from his bag and slipped it over her throat. "I've been watching you for a while and you're perfect for me. You're beautiful which is most important. Your strong, smart, and hard working. I really am impressed by you," he said and Hikari blinked hard before trying to take off the collar._

" _This is nice but I'm no-" as she undid it, she felt a sharp zap throughout her body and felt that all her strength was drained from her. "What did you put on me? When Takishima finds out -"_

" _He thinks you're dead," the masked man smiled, "All it took was a little change of clothes to keep him from looking for you." The man watched as Hikari realized that she was now wearing a light nightgown. "Did it take you that long to figure out you weren't wearing a school uniform. Well well well, my sources are incorrect. I'll have to change that immediately," the man took out the knife and held it up so that it glinted in the tiny glow of the bulb. "Well, until next time, my Hikari Hanazono."_

 _Hikari flinched. She opened her mouth to yell that only Takishima was allowed to call her that but the man pressed a button again and she fell unconscious. Hopefully Takishima wasn't hurting too badly right now._

 **End of Chapter Four**

 **Thank you for reading**

 **Thank you so so much for the reviews, they really mean a lot to me.**

Misshollyjolly65, sallymorgan983, 00nighthowler00


	5. Chapter 5 - Lightning Fast Answers

**AN:** Hope you guys like this. Thank you for reading.

Also, I hope you guys understand that despite him having brown hair in the anime. I will always see Kei as a blond since I read the manga before the anime was a thing :P sorry but not sorry

 **Chapter Five : Lightning Fast Answers**

Kei frowned as he let his fingers run through his blond hair.

That promise was going to be hard to keep but if Hikari really would be more troubled by him killing them then he would only leave that move as a last resort. If that person who had taken her away and tried to use her life as his plaything cam-

Kei paused as he felt water hit him in the cheek and he saw people staring at him and whispering to see if he was real. He looked in his hand to see that there was the water tap from the drinking fountain in his hand. He looked at the faucet and quickly managed to stop the water flow. He turned to a female nurse before walking over to her, "[Takishima, please send the bill for the repair to my company. I deeply apologize for the error in judgment,"]

The nurse smiled before looking over at the room, "[Is that your lass in there? She's a good girl. It's such a shame that things like that happen to people like her,]" she said and Kei looked down before closing his eyes as he tried to stop his head from spinning. He had to get himself controlled so that he didn't scare anyone when all he really wanted to do was start doing some heavy demolition of anything he could pick up – which for Kei Takishima meant a lot of things.

"[Ah, so you're the Japanese man who has that company, there's someone who's bee-]" the nurse said and Kei paused. Despite how his grandfather had been supportive of him and how their bond had grown because of the loss of a loved one, he didn't want his grandfather to be here. He didn't even want his own father to be here because it might be too much stress. He had said that he would answer some questions then so maybe that's what it was about.

He stepped out of the hallway and paused as he saw Ian waiting for him in the waiting room. "How urgent is this?" Kei asked with a sigh. "I'm not in the right frame of mind to be discussing business and I don't think that you could contain me if you wish to do it by force."

Ian laughed as he looked at his higher-up, "I think that we both know that despite my years of athletics at school, I could never take you. What I can do is give you this."

Ian smiled weakly as he held up a small external harddrive on a silver chain. "Apparently the pervert who had all those people had video stream for just over four years submitted to his private server. We have yet to find information about -"

"How much is on there?" Kei inquired as he reached out with a shaking hand. As much as he wanted to have control over whatever was on that stick, that's how much he didn't want to see it because seeing it would just mean that it became real and he couldn't control himself if it was made even more real. Hikari had told him that she wanted him here with her rather than him going around and getting revenge. He just wanted whatever would make her happiest.

"That just has the Hikari files," Ian said and Kei glared at him. "It's the main copy, Midori is being given the other," he explained, and Kei nodded, glad that the room was empty.

"Get me the rest of the files, after that we can decide on the best course of action. If we make enough progress then you can let my grandfather know that I will be able to do both whilst also being with HIkari," Kei looked at the files. He needed to know who these men were but he didn't want to watch them without her permission. He looked down nervously and pulled out his phone. This wasn't something that he ever wanted her to know he had done.

…..

…..

As Kei returned from his call and came back into the hospital, he heard the sound of someone being kicked about from one of the hallway storage closets. He looked from side to side as if trying to figure out what was going on and then walked over to the room. His eyes started burning as he looked at the injured nurse on the ground and he felt as if he was being launched into some strange area of space where time slows down so you can send your enemies to their eternal damnation.

However, as Kei watched the man lose consciousness as a boot kept making contact with his face, he realized that he wasn't the person who was actually attacking this man. He was just a bystander, an observer. Since he was only an observer that meant that he couldn't stop the -

Kei reached out and grabbed his future brother-in-law's wrist and pulled him into his chest.

"Let me get to him!" Atsushi yelled as all the depression and years of grief showed in his face again. "Let me kill hi-"

"I've stopped you from making a mistake," Kei said although one could tell that he cared more about the man he was keeping from attacking another rather than the one who was unconscious and coughing up blood. "We're even again."

"We're not even, you're going to have to let me ki—" Atsushi whispered and Kei raised an eyebrow.

"I want him dead as much as you do and he will mostly be dead. His career will be dead, public opinion of him will be dead, his name will be dead, but he has to go to prison and we have to do what -"

Kei froze as the older male cut him off, "Forget it, Kei, what the hell are you talking about? A low life like this doesn't deserve to be alive, he deserves to feel the same pain that she -"

"We'll do what Hikari wants," Kei sighed as he kept trying to hold himself steady. He wanted for him and Atsushi to beat this guy until nobody recognized him, he wanted them to get a car and to ditch the body somewhere, he wanted them to make this guy suffer. It was the man in front of him with blood on him that had taught him the strength of being a pacifist.

As they exited the room, Kei managed to signal Ian over since he had just been updating the president on where Kei was and he looked at him. "Please make sure the police are here and -"

"Data on the creep that they hired," Ian said as he pulled out a manilla folder, "I just had the information to verify before I brought the police down." Kei looked at him surprised about the efficiency that Ian had but he was somebody that the chairman had hired so he had to be some kind of a prodigy.

Kei turned to Atsushi and looked down, "I think that you should go to the Takishima penthouse and change your clothes. I wouldn't want Hikari to become upset and I think that maybe if you get things ready for her, she'll be more comfortable. Are you going to tell her about the profession you went into?"

"I thought I would," Atsushi nodded as Kei handed him a spare card and put the address and special notes on it. "After all, you're the one who said that getting into law enforcement would probably be healing for me."

"She loves you," Kei said as he looked up. He felt exhausted already and it wasn't going to get better all at once. He was overwhelmed by everything but mostly in a good way. He had thought that Hikari Hanazono had died and now he had her in his life again. He just had four years of trash that he had to focus on.

"Not in the same way that she loves you, thank god," Atsushi laughed before raising an eyebrow, "and what about you? You've changed a lot over the past years and with what she's gone through. She's my little sis and she's very important to me. If you get annoyed by something small then I can't forgi—"

"No change is so big that it will stop me from loving her," Kei said before he looked down.

Maybe he could find something small and insignificant for them to compete in later. Maybe he could find a way that the two of them could have fun together. He just wanted her to be happy.

Kei tried to show the happiness in his face as he came back into the hospital room and saw Hikari nervously holding onto a magazine. "What's that?" he asked as he approached her and Hikari smiled weakly.

"It's…my dad brought…" Hikari looked down sadly as she held onto two identical magazines. Kei hated how withdrawn and submissive they had forced her to be. He hated that they had taken her freedom from her on much more of a level than just locking her up. He wanted to see her smile.

Kei tilted his head, "A secret? Wow, am I going to have to guess? It's a good thing that I was Number One all the way throu-"

"it's about that," Hikari nodded before handing him one of the magazines, "Dad bought a bunch of different crossword and game magazines," she said as she looked down sadly but Kei knew that she was trying her best to survive. "I thought that maybe we could compete a little bit?"

Kei grinned as a warm glow surrounded him. "Don't think I'm going easy on you."

"I wouldn't want you tt-to," Hikari tried to smile again although her whole body was shaking. Kei took one of the magazines and went to the same page that Hikari was on. "I'm going to win, Tak-kk-kei."

Kei raised an eyebrow before sitting down and then took out a pen. His eyes darted over the page as he tried to think of the right words to fill in the spaces. He double checked his work and then began whistling to try to bring some playful teasing to the situation.

"Done" Hikari smiled as she laughed a little. She coughed and Kei looked up at her, his eyes widening, had she overexerted herself? He should have been watching her more closely. He had wanted her to have fun and he wasn't watching her and if she -

"Are you okay, Miss Number Two?" he asked her and Hikari showed him her answers. Kei looked them over before shaking his head.

"I'm sorry, but this is actually ta not na," he said as he pointed to the answers. "So, I guess you are still Miss Number Two, Hikari," he grinned as he was about to kiss her forehead but she leaned up so she could kiss him passionately on the lips.

"I'll have to ttr-try harder next time, right?" she asked and Kei smiled at how brave and strong she still was despite all the pain that she had been through. "Right, Kei?"

Kei blushed before nodding, "and I'll be right here beside you, time after time."

…

…

 _Jiro had been too much of a wreck himself to comfort Kei but he knew that the blond would want to be part of his daughter's funeral. They had been competing since they were kids and nobody wanted Kei not to be there to say his final farewells to the girl that he loved. Satoru knocked on his son's door and opened it._

 _This was unusual, Kei was only spending about four hours doing all the work that would usually be packed into two days and then when he wasn't trying to see if he could spot HIkari on a facial read detector somewhere in Japan, he would be feeling too ill to get up and do anything. Kei hadn't suffered many sicknesses but his body wasn't running as it once did, his heart seemed to be dying, his lungs seemed to be unwilling to breathe._

 _Satoru looked at his son from where he lay on the bed with so much pain layered across his expression. "Kei," Satoru said before hearing the crunch of the papers under his feet, "Kei, what's wrong? Can you tell Papa?"_

" _I did the work for the meeting, all you need is to read the cue cards," Kei said in a monotone type of voice. He certainly did sound more robotic._

" _Mama's going to be here soon too," he said and Kei just closed his eyes and gave a soft nod._

 _Satoru sighed, he picked up some of the papers off the floor. These were all lists of things to do. There were some of them to personal things, some of them were lists about assets that he had, most of them were to do with the business but in all of them the second line was blank. All of them just went from number one to number three._

" _There's no num-"_

" _She's number two," Kei whispered, "I just have to figure out another way of finding her. Nothing and nobody is going to take that spot. She's my only number two."_

 **End of Chapter Five**

 **Thank you for reading**

 **Thank you so much, Chapter Four reviewers**

00nighthowler00, liliesanddaisies, misshollyjolly65, moonlightsonata


	6. Chapter 6 - Light in the Reflection

**AN:** Thank you for your patience on the update of this fic. I work retail (and often volunteer to do more hours) as well as go to school (which can take a lot of time as well). I was also kind of sad to receive zero reviews so wanted to give people a chance to read and review before I updated. Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

 **Chapter Six – Light in the Reflection**

Kei drummed his fingers on the side table as he sat on the sofa in his family's New York penthouse. He kept taking deep breaths in to steady himself as he looked at his phone which was on the coffee table in front of him. Sakura was currently in New York and although Jun and Megumi weren't, neither was Yahiro but he wouldn't be on the top ten list of people Kei wanted to invite, Sakura had always been important to Hikari.

He sighed and let his fingers go through his blond hair. They had kept the news to a minimum that Hikari was back and he had only known for four days himself, but he needed to tell those people who really did care about her. The first person on that list was Akira, but how would this disrupt her honeymoon. She deserved to know but she also deserved to experience a good time with her new husband.

Kei sighed again before closing his eyes.

He could see that young girl with her tea set and the smile on her face. He hadn't paid that much attention to her when he was a kid, he had often thought of her as not challenging him enough, he had felt bored by her but over the time when she had seen him suffering, she had stayed by his side and had been a lot of help.

Maybe the two of them would be the best places to start.

He picked up his phone, checked the time in France, and then placed the call. He sat there with the phone to his ear and tried to maintain his composure. His eyes flickered slightly as he heard Tadashi answer the phone. Kei didn't want to lose sight of his plan, but didn't all of the members of their high school group deserve to know.

"Hey, Kei. What's going on?" the new husband laughed and Kei looked in front of him.

"May I speak with Akira?" he said as he continued to look at the coffee table. He could tell that the tone to his voice was slightly more mechanical and business-formal but this was something very important. He heard the phone get passed and continued to try to maintain his posture and breath rate.

"What's going on? I was just about to enter a café -" Akira said before Kei closed his eyes.

"Hikari's alive," he said as he heard the gasp on the other end of the line.

…..

…..

 _There was a knock on Kei's bedroom door and the blond felt his heart break even more as he realized that it wasn't Hikari and that it never would be Hikari. He stood up before going over to the door, looking like a zombie instead of his usual self. He was scarily weak. It wasn't a physical weakness but almost as if he were dead inside._

 _He opened the door to see a short-haired girl that he had known to be a friend of his. Maybe he hadn't shown it himself but she was still an important person in his life. "Akira?" he asked as he saw her dressed completely in black, her eyes were dead inside._

" _Hi, I wanted to see you," she whispered as she looked down and shivered._

 _Kei took a few steps towards her and the young woman threw herself into his arms as he held her tightly to him. "Hi, I'm here. I'm still here," he told her before feeling a few tears in his eyes as she sobbed into his chest, her fist holding onto his shirt._

" _It's not your fault," Akira whispered as Kei felt as if she knew what was going through his mind with every heartbeat. "I miss her so much. I know that - I know that -"_

" _Have you talked to Tadashi?" Kei asked as Akira looked at him._

" _He bought me a punching bag and he's been talking to me. He's been helping me get through this but I…I know that he's hurt too and that he's suffering but there's – I know that it's just me and you who cared about her with this much intensity and I want us both to get through this," Akira told him and Kei looked down not wanting to admit that he didn't know how to do that._

…..

…..

"You're not kidding with me right, Kei, because if you are I will end you," Akira said as she started to cry and Kei took slow breaths.

"Why would I ever joke about something of this much gravity?" he asked her. He took a deep breath, "However, the circumstances that she was found in require a lot of delicacy," he stood up and walked over to his office knowing Hikari wouldn't go in there. "Can you find a place where you can talk privately?" he asked her.

Akira paused before speaking again, "I should be able to. So she's back? She's really - how did you -"

"Are you alone?" Kei asked before closing the door.

"Well Tadashi is still here, but is it okay if he knows?" Akira asked as Kei could imagine her clutching onto the phone with so much urgency. He felt badly about the fact that he had tried to keep this information from her but he needed to take time and be patient because his patience was what Hikari needed from him.

"She was abducted and locked up as someone's sex slave, apparently they paid others to…take advantage of her," Kei said as he tried to keep his angry voice low so that nobody else could possibly hear him. "I found her when looking at new properties for the family business in New York."

Akira was struck silent for a few moments before the anger could be heard in her voice, "What the fuck!?" she asked, "Have you found out who these people are!? They won't get away with it. I'll hire the best lawy-"

"We're working on finding that information," Kei said with a cold laugh, "and don't worry. No offense to you, but Todou money can't beat Takishima money in securing the world's best legal team and anybody who hurt her will either find themselves with a broken body or behind bars." Kei closed his eyes. "She's…she's not really herself right now but I can't blame her for that."

"Of course, you can't blame her. Men are disgusting animals in the most part. That's the kind of filth they were. I'm glad that there are good guys out there as well," she said and Kei could imagine her directing that opinion towards Tadashi. "Where are you? I want to see her, is that possible?" Akira asked desperately and Kei smiled.

"As long as you're patient with her, I think that she'd like to see you too. We're in New York, the Taksihima penthouse but I can arrange for someone to meet you at JFK if you want. I need you to be patient with her," he said as there came a crash and Kei's eyes opened as he heard a couple more crashes.

"I have to -" he said as Akira cut him off.

"If you don't end this call right now, Kei, and go check on her then I'm never speaki-" the line went dead and Akira sighed in relief as she broke down crying. Tadashi wrapped his arms around her as she struggled through so many difficult emotions.

…

…

Hikari looked at the glass mirror that was before her, she had smashed it using bars of soap and other items. Then she had pushed herself against the wall. That looked expensive. It was probably more than she could ever pay back and she had just smashed it so recklessly. Still, she would look at herself and only remember the men who had touched her, the men who had hurt her, the man who had stolen away her life.

She didn't recognize herself. She hadn't had mirrors whilst she had been locked up and had only really felt the passing of time by how much longer her hair was. She had seen how much older Kei had become and had seen the changes in her family and in the pictures that Kei had on his phone but she found difficulty in looking at herself and looking at the new scars and wounds that she had had forced onto her.

As she fell to the ground, wrapping her arms around her knees, she saw the door open and sobbed harder as she saw the blond try and take in the scene that was in front of him. He made a few steps over to her and gently took her wrist. She didn't flinch away from him and so he touched the side of her head.

"Hikari," he whispered, "Are you hurt? Did you get cut? Are there any wounds?" he asked desperately. He looked her over again and held onto her wrist as he turned it over and noticed that there wasn't any blood. That was something he had to be glad about.

"What happened?" he asked, his voice wavering with uncertainty. "Can you talk to me? Are you alright?"

"I'm sorry," Hikari finally said as she fell onto his chest and wrapped her arms around him tightly. "I'm so sorry," she repeated and Kei froze. He let his fingers go through her long hair and rubbed her back.

"No, you don't need to be sorry," he said whilst still being a little confused over what was going on. He looked at the shattered glass and he knew he wanted to get Hikari out of this room. "I'm sorry that I left you alone. Please rely on my strength, okay, and don't overwork yourself. I'm here now." He looked down, "and Akira is going to be here too." He saw her smile a little and his body warmed up instantly. He had done the right thing by telling her.

"I…" Hikari said as she slowly and unsteadily got to her feet whilst Kei used his own body to support her. "I don't like looking at my hair," she said and Kei's eyes widened a little before he sighed. He wasn't a trained hairdresser like some other people but he could give it a go….there was one person around here who was a decent stylist but he didn't know whether his jealousy could stand having _him_ touch her.

"How about you go wait in my room, okay? Sit down on the bed, get some rest, just close your eyes or listen to some music and I'll go see if I can make you an appointment with somebody," he said and Hikari looked at him before looking down.

She nodded weakly as she used him to help her there.

She lay down on the bed just staring out of the window and grabbed onto the blanket that Kei lovingly placed over her. She looked at him, "Takishima," she whispered as he smiled hearing that familiar name. "Thank you."

"There's nothing that you need to thank me for," he told her, "I love you. You tell me if you want me back here for anything, call out for me and I'll come back here. I just want you to have what you need," he said referring to the stylist. He saw Hikari close her eyes as she nodded timidly.

Kei looked down before going onto his phone and finding the correct number. He swallowed his pride and dialed in the number, he hadn't expected for it to be answered as quickly as it was.

"Hello, this is Iori Tokiwa speaking."

 **End of Chapter Six**

 **Thank you for reading**

 **Thank you so much, reviewers of Chapter Five**

Dogsrcool5, kittycat, Misshollyjolly65, moonlightsonata


	7. Chapter 7 - Low Lamplight

**AN:** Thank you for the reviews for last chapter. I really hope you enjoy this chapter too 😊 There might be a longer wait (like a week maybe) but I hope that you enjoy.

 **Chapter Seven : Low Lamplight**

Kei looked nervously in front of him as he sat opposite the stylist and the woman he loves. He looked at the ground and took a few deep breaths as if he were a new father in the delivery room of a hospital. He could see black strands covering the mat that the stylist had put down in the kitchen of the penthouse.

Iori had mainly stayed silent during his time with the two of them. At first he had thought that Kei had been losing it but had agreed to come and see the situation – he could have at least gotten help for his former-rival – but had been completely stunned as to what had become true in front of his eyes.

As he let a hand run through her hair, measuring the cuts, he saw Hikari flinch and pulled back.

"Are yo-"

"Are you okay?" Kei panicked as he stood and looked at the stylist. He hadn't seen what had happened but he didn't want it to happen again. He moved forwards and towards Hikari. Putting his hands on her shoulders, he gave her a concerned look before kissing her forehead a few times.

"What is it? What happened? Can you tell me?" he asked desperately as he tried to ignore the part that told him to fling Tokiwa out the window. He kept eye contact with her but found that she was disappearing in on herself, "Hikari?" Kei asked again before the black haired woman came back and threw her arms around him.

Kei gathered her up close, "Do you think we could pause for a moment?" he asked as he pulled Hikari's body as close to his as possible.

…

…

 _Hikari had no idea how to count the passing of the days or if the day had even passed more than one time. She could count it by the number of people that she had been forced to have touching her whilst drugs went through her body or she could measure it by how many times she threw up or how many times she went to sleep. From her estimation maybe it had been ten or maybe that was just the number that it felt best to guess._

 _As she sat in the room, she felt another needle start pumping something into her body. Had they inserted another one since she had been sleeping? Would it hurt again if it came out?_

 _The door opened and she tried to stand, her eyes focusing on the gap with such desperation. She wanted to run for it, to take all of the chances that she had and just find someone who would take her away from all of this madness. They had said that Takishima believed that she was dead. Was that why he wasn't coming for her? He wouldn't believe that lie, would he?_

 _As she sat thinking about him, the man she had come to know as her captor and the leader of a crime organization, approached her._

" _Now, now," he whispered coldly, "Don't struggle. I think we've had a little bit of a misunderstanding here. You're not really upset are you?" he asked as he took out a knife and started polishing it with a cloth. "Today is only the second part of your training."_

 _He walked over to her and lifted up her chin with his knife before laughing as she was forced to look at the mask. "I always am a fool when it comes to a girl who keeps her hair long and neat like this. I think it's a special gift, just for me."_

…

…

"Okay," Hikari whispered as she opened her eyes and managed to sit up again, she tried to brave a smile as she saw the painful way in which Kei was watching her. He had always loved her in this way and she had to trust him that he would keep her safe. She didn't want to go anywhere without him again. She looked at him and smiled weakly. "I'm okay, it's okay," she told him as she had her hands on his shoulders.

"Are you sure?" he asked before she nodded and he kissed her cheek before sitting back and letting a tentative Iori take a step forward. He looked at Kei who wouldn't let his eyes leave the woman in front of them both. He had to admit that he respected the fact that even in her death, Kei hadn't been reported with anyone else.

"Let's begin, it's good to see your dreams came true," Hikari told Iori who nodded slowly and continued to look at her sadly. Hikari still had hold of one of Kei's hands as they sat there.

"Thank you," the stylist said, "Your hair should be done soon and if you need information on makeup or clo-"

"Thank you, but I'll make sure to arrange that," Kei told him and Iori nodded.

"If you do need advice then you can let me know," he said before continuing his work.

…..

…..

Hikari glanced at herself in a small mirror that was in the main guest room. She had had so much of her hair cut off but she felt better with this emo-punk look. The hair that was remaining was all cut in layers with the longest strands just resting on her shoulders. Her face was behind hair as well as if she were looking through a bush. She felt protected this way, as if people couldn't tie her down.

As she heard a knock at the door, she turned and saw Kei enter with a smile on his face. He walked over to her before sitting down on the bed next to her, "Hi," he smiled as she looked at him and then looked down immediately.

"Is it bad? Do you hate it?" she asked and Kei grinned.

"Well, now I see where you got all of those answers wrong, Miss. Number Two. To doubt even me, well, maybe we should work on getting to know one another again," he said before letting his thumb go through the layers. "I think you're gorgeous no matter how you want to have your hair. Remember when you tried to be a guy and I fell in love with you at first sight," he laughed and Hikari rested against him.

"I love you," she said before blushing and looking down with tears in her eyes.

Kei smiled as he pulled her closer to him, "I love you too, I will never love anyone as much as I love you," he promised her and she held to his hand. "If I could take your bad memories away then I would, I wish that I could…" his hand shook as if he were imagining strangling somebody.

"I wa-wa-want you ttto" Hikari whispered before she pulled him back on the bed with her.

Kei looked at her stunned as he looked her over. Was this really what was best for her? He didn't want her to feel forced and to be a bad memory to her. He saw her grab onto the collar of his shirt and as she started to unbutton it he pulled away, taking her hands in his. "Please just relax, we can take this slowly. I think you need to rest a little bit more," he said as he felt heartbroken.

"I'm sorry," she whispered as she saw how torn Kei was about all of this as he tried to keep her from acting dominantly. "I just….is it because you…"

"I don't give a damn that I'm a virgin," he said as Hikari looked at him surprised. Kei looked down embarrassed before covering his mouth. With his face reddening, Kei looked down at the bed and shook his head. "No, it doesn't matter because I've saved myself for the woman that I love and I don't give a damn if I died like a monk doing it." He saw her flinch and he shifted. He looked down as he tried to figure out what to do and it was in those moments that he realized that he didn't really have any idea of what he was doing.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, "Please just tell me what I can do to help."

Hikari looked at him before smiling, "I want us to be happy together," she told him as he looked at her with a weak smile. "I want to be in a place where we're the only two people there and there's no pain or sadness and we can just rely on one another," she put a hand on his chest and pushed him down so that he was on the bed. She hadn't seen him this uncertain before.

"What are you doing Miss. Number Two?" he asked her, "Are you seriously asking me to take control of this situation?" he said before raising an eyebrow, "You may not like it when I do."

"No," Hikari whispered as she let herself kiss him down his jaw and down his neck whilst holding him down with one hand. "I want to take control," she said, "I want to replace all my bad memories with good ones. I want to replace the sadness with love," she continued to kiss him and Kei watched her.

He longed to be close to her but he wasn't sure if what they were doing was right at all. He stood and then walked over to a cupboard where he had seen condoms been kept before looking at the unopened box. This was troubling that it was here but it was easy to access and disturbingly enough he had his father to thank for that.

He held the box awkwardly before looking over at her, "Is this what you want?" he asked her as he felt his breath catch in his throat. "Because I need to make sure you know what you're doing," he said and Hikari smiled.

"I want you to be the last guy who has been inside of me," she whispered and he nodded before opening the box. She grabbed him before pulling him over to the bed and let her fingers roam down his shirt as she undid the buttons for him whilst he held her supportively.

"I want you to really enjoy your first time," she whispered as she placed her head on his strong and warm chest. "I want to make it -"

"Our first time," Kei told her before using his strength to put her comfortably below him. He smiled as he looked upon her and saw her looking at him lovingly. "I will stop when you say it, my princess," he said before he gently and yet confidently took care of her clothing. He looked at her with such a fire in his eyes as he started something completely new in their relationship.

…

…

"How was that for you, my dear Hikari?" Kei asked as he held the woman lovingly in his arms and looked down upon her. She was smiling which was a good thing, however she was also shivering. "Is it cold? Is something -"

"Thank you," she whispered to him and Kei froze, "You've got a really good technique," she said as he paled over and stared at her with his mouth open. Hikari closed her eyes before cuddling into him. "Thank you, now I can just think of you."

"You…I hope that I…" Kei sighed, "Thank you for giving me that gift. We'll go as slow or as fast as you want, Miss Number One."

"Miss Number One?" Hikari asked as Kei smiled happily as he looked at her.

"Yes, you're my first time, right? Isn't that what number one means, congratulations and thank you," he said as he kissed her forehead as happy tears entered her eyes. Under the glow of the lamp he smiled again, "You're my number one."

 **End of Chapter Seven**

 **Thank you for reading**

 **Thank you so much, reviewers of Chapter Six**

Dogsrcool5, joeyisanerd286, Misshollyjolly65,


	8. Chapter 8 - Leave the Light On

**AN:** I hate to say this but last chapter I felt like I was forced into writing that last part of the chapter. I understand that this is rated M and that people are expecting something with the storyline but I guess I was writing trying to please people and it made me uncomfortable coming back to the fic. However, I love the characters and their relationships so I'm continuing for that reason 😊

 **Chapter Eight :: Leave the Light On**

Kei was reading through the list of results that Aoi had been sending him whilst doing further research. He didn't know what had gone on the previous night but he was thankful for it. He was thankful that he had finally been able to have sex with the woman he had loved since childhood. However, he was unsure how she was feeling. Usually when you try to break a tradition by adapting it, you were only further reminded of the past when it had gone badly. Hopefully this wasn't the same.

Kei narrowed his eyes as he saw a few high class business leaders that he would have to request never to do business with in the future. Well, either that or he could get those board members fired so that he never had to see or hear of anyone who had taken advantage of his light.

It was at that point that he felt the door break down and his eyes widened as he span around.

"Really?" he asked as he stood up and faced two of his female friends. "Are you going to pay for property damages, Akira?" he asked as she laughed.

"I don't think that's any way of saying hello to us," Akira said as Kei knew that she was angry with him for keeping the details about Hikari away from them for so long. "I can understand wanting to keep my precious Hikari to yourself but -"

"You could have told me," Sakura said as she looked to the door on the floor, she attempted to control her anger as Kei just stared at them wide-eyed since he thought that the Takishima family had gone above and beyond in securing this room. "I live here and to know that my Hikari was here for -"

"She's been in New York the entire time, you understand" Kei said as he went over to the door and picked it up from the floor, examining it a little bit to see if there were any major damages done to it. He picked it up and walked over to the hinges before resting it on the wall. "Can you please give her some rest, I doubt either of you would be feeling good if you went through what she did."

"Well, you are the one who was the most overprotective of her," Sakura said and Akira smiled.

"Yes, like a dog with his bone, that kind of emotion," she teased and Kei stared at her trying to cover his annoyed feelings.

"Do you want to come in and sit down?" he asked with a blank expression and Sakura laughed with a roll of her eyes.

"After all of these years, Takishima finally learned how to treat ladies in the way that they should be treated. It took him long enough," Sakura smiled as Akira nodded.

"Even someone as undignified as Kei can be taught new tricks every so often," Akira said before looking softly at Kei as he looked into the distance. She sighed before putting a hand on her friend's chest. "You know we're just joking with you. I'm sure that she's been through a lot and I'm sure that you're supporting her with it. Thank you for taking care of her."

Kei laughed before raising his eyebrows, "Sit down and wait until she's ready to leave the bedroom whilst I try and fix this," he gestured before turning his attention to the door. He gave a quick look back at his computer and was thankful that he had gone out of the hidden program with the details in it. He didn't want anybody to know the research that he was performing.

Sakura looked down at the table as she tried to take deep breaths to steady herself. She felt as if she should have known that Hikari was so close by. If she had known then she would have rescued her a long time ago. She looked at Akira who seemed to be thinking similar thoughts and then turned back to the clock. She had to say something.

"Tea" Akira said as Kei adjusted the frame for the door, "Do you have ingredients to make tea or do I have to go out and buy some?" she asked and Kei blinked at her before gesturing to the kitchen area.

"You should be able to find something in the kitchen," he said as he finally managed to get the door on though he'd have to buy a new one later.

Kei walked over to sit near Sakura before hearing a squeak and movement from the room Hikari had been in. His eyes widened hopefully and he looked down as he took slow breaths. He didn't want this to be too overwhelming for her. He didn't want to have caused something that made her feel uncomfortable in any way but he felt that seeing her friends might help her.

Hikari walked over to them nervously and Sakura stood up in shock before tears covered her face. "Hi," she said with a weak smile as Kei watched between the two women. Sakura tried hard to stop her tears but she walked over and let her arms wrap around the friend that she thought that she had lost. Hikari nervously returned the hug.

"I am so sorry," the wealthier young woman whispered, "I am so so sorry. If I had known. I won't let them get away with this," she said before Hikari nodded.

"Could we not discuss it?" she asked as her eyes were glued to the floor.

"Yeah, yes we don't need to disgust such an ugly thing," Sakura replied immediately before she turned around to look at Kei who was watching them. "Why don't we sit and -"

"Oh my gosh" Akira said as she returned to the room. Her entire body shook and her hands came up to her face, she tried to swallow her tears but just seeing this woman here in front of her made her feel a rush of uncontrollable emotions. "Hikari," she whispered again.

"Akira," Hikari said as she went to hug her friend, "I'm sorry," she apologized as Akira looked at her completely shocked by that statement.

"No, never, you never have to apologize to any of us, right, Kei?" Akira asked as the blond looked at the two of them. His heart felt warmer knowing that Hikari had her friends around her to support her. He shook his head quickly.

"Of course you don't need to apologize to us," he said before he looked down. He just wished that he could take all of her pain away but that didn't seem something that even he could do. He sighed as he looked forward and thought about Sakura's words. He should have found her before, if he had then maybe she wouldn't be hurt as badly.

"Kei, go finish the tea, okay?" Sakura said before trying to wave him off.

Kei rolled his eyes before standing up, he hated to be bossed around like this and usually he would refuse but if this was what Hikari needed then he didn't feel a right to refuse. As he passed by, he felt a hand hold onto his wrist and he looked around surprised when Hikari was holding it, her hand shaking against his skin.

"What is it?" Kei asked with a softened expression as he stared at the woman he loves concerned. "Hikari, is something wrong?" he asked as he placed a hand on her cheek and then found her to fling her arms around him and start crying into his chest. He gathered her up in his arms and held her close whilst kissing the top of her head.

"You'll be okay," he tried to tell her as he showed the room how deep his affection was for this woman. "I'm here. We all love you, nobody will try to hurt you. Is it okay that those two are here?" he asked as Hikari nodded her head, "and is it okay that we're meeting up with your family later?" he asked and received another nod. Kei hummed as he held her close and rubbed her back as she seemed to be holding onto him for safety and protection even at this time.

"I'll go make the tea," Akira said as she saw how close the two of her friends were. "I'll go make the tea and then we can all talk together."

"I'll help you," Sakura said quickly as she stood up and followed Akira out of the room, not wanting to make Hikari even more upset.

"Come here," Kei coaxed since they were the only two in the room. He made sure that Hikari was comfortable as she sat down with him on the couch and he looked into her eyes. "Deep breaths, okay?" he advised as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Can you tell me what's wrong?"

"I'm going to let everyone down," Hikari whispered as she closed her eyes and battled against the tears that were threatening to fall. "I'm not the person they want."

Kei wrapped his arms around her again, "Don't think like that. They are happy to see you. We all love you."

"You love me the most," Hikari whispered and Kei smiled as he kissed her again.

"Of course, I do," he said with a grin whilst still attempting to soothe her by rubbing her back and holding her close.

…

…

 _Masako smiled at the young man who had helped their family out so much during this time of hardship. Kei Takishima had done everything he could for his deceased girlfriend and she couldn't be more thankful that he had been there to help them. She could see his sadness though. Maybe if she had treated Hikari more like a young girl and supported her relationship in the way some other mothers would…well, this might still have happened._

" _I'll pay for the me-" Kei said as he tried to take out his money but Jiro put a hand on his and shook his head._

" _You know, I might not be as wealthy as you or Satoru but I'd like to treat you to this, we want to thank you for all of your hel-" Jiro said but was cut off by his wife._

" _Kei, you've been like a son in law to us already," she said as Kei looked down seemingly frozen by those words. "I know that she loved you more than mostly everything else. She wouldn't want to see you beating yourself up about her -"_

" _She's still alive," Kei said as Jiro and Masako shared an extremely concerned glance, "I can feel it. I've just been looking in the wrong places. She's still out there somewhere."_

 _Jiro shivered, "Kei, we want to know that you're okay," he admitted._

 _Kei looked down before shaking his head, "I don't think so but it's not really something that you should be concerning yourself with. I don't want to cause you any pain. Don't worry about me, think about yourself and make sure that you're okay. That's what she wants."_

 _Jiro sighed but it was Masako who spoke this time._

" _Jiro and Satoru-san have been close for years," she tried to tell the blond who looked like he was constantly being drenched by a raincloud, "and I want you to know that we know all about your abilities but even knowing that, we wouldn't call you a robot or a monster. We know how sweet and kind you are. We know how much you feel isolated. We have never thought you to be a machine which might be why we care so much about what you're going through because of how dedicated you were to her. We know that you've always been looking out for her and we're so thankful for th-that," she said as she felt her heart break._

 _Kei smiled as he looked down. Was that true? Had there been a lot of people in his life that he hadn't noticed hadn't seen him as a robot or a machine or a monster. How could he take that and live a life full of emotion without her? Nothing made sense anymore. If he was a machine, he had completely malfunctioned without her smiling face and her soft voice._

 **End of Chapter Eight**

 **Thank you so much for reading**

 **Thank you, reviewers of Chapter Seven**

Joeyisanerd286, Kittycat, Misshollyjolly65


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